South Downs farmstay cottages near Beachy Head, England

More info:For a three days break is anywhere between £216 and £324 depending on the season.
For each extra day we charge and additional £20-£30 again depending on the time of year.

Description of South Downs farmstay cottages near Beachy Head, England

These two lovely self catering cottages are on our working arable and pastoral farm. We have the added advantage of being both in the middle of nowhere for those who like the secluded lifestyle and yet a stone's throw away from Eastbourne, Seaford and many other culturally thriving local towns and villages.

For people who want to go walking we have the South Downs 'in our backyard' and we are happy to recommend any walks depending on your interest.

Beachy Head is nearby with its breathtaking views and is a must for those who like taking photos.

Rooms, food and facilities

Norton Farm Cottage:

From October to April heating is supplied by 2 night storage heaters situated in the lounge and at the top of the stairs. There are in addition two convector heaters available. The lounge has an open fire; we supply wood for your use.

1 double room, 1 twin room

Lounge with door to small-enclosed garden, Kitchen/Diner including cooker, fridge, microwave and washer/dryer.

Bathroom with separate toilet.

Entrance to the cottage is via a small-enclosed courtyard with garden furniture for summer use and a rotary washing line.

We can supply a highchair and a baby cot if needed.

We welcome dogs as long as they are well controlled, as this is a working farm with sheep and cattle.

The Old Parlour:

1 Double room, 1 Bunk

The cottage has room outside for 2 cars, with a great seating area with garden furniture and a rotary washing line which comes in useful for those staying a little longer.

The property consists of an attractive kitchen with electric oven and hob, microwave, washing machine and fridge with icebox.

Wet room with shower, basin and w.c. (Please bring your own towels).

Slope leads up from the main entrance into lounge/diner with doors opening onto the seating area with lovely farm views.Leading off of the lounge are two bedrooms, one double room and a room with bunk beds, bed linen provided.

Heating is supplied by an under floor heating system. The heating and electric are included in our charges.

Map

Responsible tourism

Environment

Both the cottages were old buildings that we have restored in the style in which they were built. The Farm Cottage was an old tithe cottage lived in by farm workers back in the early days of the farm. Over time as fewer people lived on the farm we took the chance to see if, when restored, it would work as a self catering cottage. We used local suppliers and local materials in order to maintain the integrity of the buildings.

In an unusual scheme to utilise the land around you and conserve energy we have under floor heating in the Old Parlour that actually comes from the land itself, this is called Geothermal Heating and it uses the heat given off a few feet under the soil. The temperature is fairly constant at this depth and gives off heat even in winter.

On the farm itself we try to encourage wildlife where we can with lots of hedgerows across the large site. As a result we have lots of animals that our guests often spot on their stay. This ranges from badgers and foxes through to kestrels and kites on a good day for the birdwatchers amongst you.

The youngest generation in my son is also involved as he keeps ducks and chickens which roam with lots of room and we get lovely eggs from them which are always available if wanted.

It is also possible to travel around on foot or with public transport the local station being about 1.5 miles away. We have one regular German guest who comes each time and walks everywhere never setting foot in a car if he can help it. We encourage this with all of our guests as this is not an area to drive through- you would miss all of the good stuff!

Community

We employ a full time worker who is a local and who lives in the cottage on the farm itself. We have a further two part time workers on the farm also from the local region. We try where possible to employ from the villages surrounding the farm. This is in the hope of keeping the community thriving around us. We provide accommodation for the farm workers on site where we can as it makes it easier for us to find the right people.

We promote the local businesses and though we don't have a farm shop ourselves we always direct people to the local farmers shops for fresh food. There are many good local pubs around that we try to promote as much as possible.

There are also some crafts that come from the area that some of our guests like to do given the chance. A good example is the Sussex Trugs which are made locally and which guests can buy from a few local craftsmen. One in particular at Herstmonceux has provided great trugs in the past and we can always point people in the right direction if they are interested in these things.

Landscape

We are lucky to be in a secluded spot in the South Downs, right on the eastern end of the National Park but one of the more spectacular areas. The cottages face in different directions but both look out onto sunny hills with sheep and cows grazing on them. All of our guests talk of the amount of birds they see when sitting outside. If you walk to the top of the hill you can look down into Newhaven Harbour. If you are a really keen walker you can walk out to Beachy Head and the panorama from there which is beautiful. We are surrounded by chalk hills with fields stretching for miles around and one thing we feel confident of is that you will never run out of beautiful places to walk through. In our fields with so many sheep (seven hundred) and cattle (over eighty) it is a really picturesque farming landscape.